Electric railway-signal.



J. B. HOWELL.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1910.

1,090,309. Patented Mar.17,1914

FIG. 1.

FIG. 2.

WITNESSES 1N VEN TOR, M J 15. Howell,

n17. mfi/ p/w -v 7212/1 ATTORNEY.

TTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. HOWELL, OF LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN B. HOWELL, a citizenof the United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county ofLeavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Railway-Signals, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in signal controlling devices forelectric railways, and particularly to switches of that characteroperated by the trolley of a car at a turn-out or station, to close anelectric circuit controlling the signal mechanism.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive switch ofthis character which may be readily applied to existing railways and inwhich provision is made for reliably holding the switch in either of thepositions in which it is left by the trolley-wheel whereby it isactuated.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the signal controlling device with itssupporting parts and housing in section. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionon line IIII of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line III-IIIof Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a housing to protect thecontrolling device.

1 designates a trolley-wire adapted to be traversed in either directionby a trolleywheel 32.

12 designates a switch lever fulcrumed midway between its ends upon abolt 13 and provided at each end with a pair of resilient contactfingers 14, adapted to alternately grip the trolley-wire 1 and bring incircuit therewith either of the flexible conductors 16 to control thecircuit from the trolleywire to the signals, not shown. The resilientfingers 16 comprising the contacts 14-, also firmly grip thetrolley-wire and thus reliably hold the switch-lever 12 in the posi tionleft by the trolley-wheel 32. Contacts 14: are insulated from the lever,if the same be made of metal, by tappets 31 having longitudinal grooves33 to straddle the trolleywire, as shown, and thus prevent lateraldisplacement of the contacts 1-1. Bolt 13 is secured to the verticalmembers of a U-shaped lug 27, which vertical members are drawn intofrictional contact with the opposite sides of the switch-lever 12 toprevent the same from rebounding when the contacts 1 1 Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed August 30, 1910.

Patented Mar. 17, 19141.

Serial No. 579,758.

are alternately brought into engagement with the trolley wire 1. Lug 27is supported by an insulating block 26, which in turn is supported by aclamp 25 secured to a transverse supporting wire 24.

The switch-lever 12 and its supporting parts are protected from theweather by a housing 28, secured by rivets 29 to the vertical members ofthe lug 27, said housing having vertical slots 30 to receive thesupporting wire 24.

The operation of the device is very simple, and is substantially asfollows: \Vhen the trolleyqvheel 32 travels to the right, it passesbeneath the tappet 31 at the left of the switch-lever 12 and strikestappet 31 at the right of said switch, lifting said tappet and causingthe switch to rock on its fulcrum until the fingers forming the contact14 at the left of said switch engage the trolleywire 1. When thetrolley-wheel 32 returns from the right, it strikes the tappet 31 at theleft of the switch-lever 12 and throws said switch back to its originalposition, see Fig. 1.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. A signal controller for electric trolley railways, comprising, incombination with the trolley wire, a supporting wire extending acrossand above the trolley wire, an insulating block mounted on saidsupporting wire, a lever fulcrum mounted on said block, a switch leverpivoted on said fulcrum above the trolley wire, said switch lever havingat each end thereof a portion adapted to be elevated by the passage of atrolley wheel therebeneath, an insulated contact device carried by eachend of said lever, each of said devices being adapted to form electricalconnection with the trolley wire when depressed, and flexible conductorsconnected to said contact devices respectively.

2. A signal controller for electric trolley railways, comprising, incombination with the trolley wire, a supporting wire extending acrossand above the trolley wire, an insulating block mounted on saidsupporting wire, a lever fulcrum mounted on said block, a switch leverpivoted on said fulcrum above the trolley wire, said, switch leverhaving at each end thereof a portion adapted to be elevated by thepassage of a trolley wheel therebeneath, an insulated contact devicecarried by each end of said lever, each of Gil said devices beingadapted to form electrical connection with the trolley Wire whendepressed, flexible conductors connected to said cont-act devicesrespectively, and a housing inclosing the top and sides of the switchlever and secured to the lever fulcrum.

3. A signal controller for electric trolley railways, comprising, incombination with the trolley wire, a supporting wire extending acrossand above the trolley wire, an sulating block mounted onsaid supportingwire, a lever fulcrum mounted on said block, a switch lever pivoted onsaid fulcrum above the trolley wire, said switch lever having at eachend thereof a portion adapted to be elevated by the passage of a trolleywheel therebeneath, an insulated contact device carried by each end ofsaid lever, each of said devices being adapted to form electricalconnection with the trolley wire 'when de pressed, and flexibleconductors connected to said contact devices respectively, either ofsaid trolleyactuated portions being clear of a trolley wheel when inelevated position.

4. In combination, a trolley wire clamp, an insulating block mounted onsaid clamp, a lever fulcrum mounted on said block, a switch leverpivoted on said fulcrum above said clamp, tappet pieces secured to theends of said lever, insulated trolley wire contact devices mounted onthe lower sides of said tappet pieces, and flexible conductors connectedto the respective contact devices.

5. A signal controller for electric trolley wires, comprising, incombination with the trolley-wire, a supporting wire extending acrossand above said trolley-wire, an insulating block mounted on'saidsupporting wire, a switch lever fulcrumed midway between its ends onsaid block, tappet pieces at the terminals of said switch-lever, saidpieces having longitudinal grooves to alternately-straddle thetrolleywire so that the trolley-wheel may alternately strike said tappetpieces and operate the lever, resilient contact fingers fixed in saidgrooves and adapted to alternately grip the trolley-wire, flexibleconductors communicating with said fingers, and-a housing to cover theswitchlever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN B. HOWELL. Witnesses:

CHAs. E. HAYLAND. H. F. LUDOLPI-I.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

